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Meet Jessica Bonifacio of Wrapsesh in Tempe

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Bonifacio.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started off in the vinyl industry doing an old-school, apprenticeship to learn how to wrap. Vinyl wraps appealed to me, obviously the luxury vehicles and lifestyle is attractive, but I was really drawn to the artistry of wrapping, using your hands to create something. There also isn’t a strong female presence within the industry, especially among installers and other “labor-work. “My boyfriend and co-owner, Michael Shedd, took me under his wing at a high-end shop he was employed with in Scottsdale and from there I took off, focusing mostly on luxury color changes. We had a falling out at that shop after a couple years, and ended up walking out of there unexpectedly. With no money to our name, and no real game plan, we decided “alright, it’s time to start Wrapsesh.” It was always just an idea, just a dream we tossed around in our heads, having a shop to call our own with no limits, no constraints, just art. But we decided it’s now or never. So, we built our name from the bottom up. We started doing mobile jobs and whole sale work for other shops. We went 8 months without business cards, strictly “word of mouth.” Bounced around a few temporary locations, lots of trial and error; Lots of disappointments. I learned to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. By uncomfortable, I mean having your power off and hot water off at your house for 3 weeks because keeping the business afloat was more important. We kept our heads down and focused on the quality of our work, and just kept grinding. 1.5 years later and we now have an incredible shop set up, here at 101 Motors in Tempe, AZ. We have an additional full-time employee, and desperately needing to hire another few. Due to popular demand, we also now have a YouTube Channel, Wrapsesh, where we post weekly videos showcasing our work and team. At one point along the way, our social media started to really take off and gain a following. Now we primarily book work by referrals and Social media alone. Team Wrapsesh is going nowhere but up, because we make moves, not excuses.

Has it been a smooth road?
Definitely Not! I’ve learned to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. The financial backing was our biggest hurdle, as when we started our company we had no savings, no investments, nothing to put forward. It took us a long time to slowly get the things we need, Business cards, legal documents, the customer base. We went through many disappointments concerning partnering up with an investor or other related business. Within the first year we were primarily mobile, but our home base was never permanent and we usually had to share space with other shops/people until we secured our own location.

Learning how to run the business was an obstacle in itself. Everything has been a first for me. Learning to pay sales tax, or employees, accounting, QuickBooks, business accounts… all of this was totally new to me. Not only am I doing half the labor in the shop, I am also running the business; so, booking appointments, bills/accounting, social media…all of that is my responsibility as well. I have had to learn how to manage my time and prioritize because I feel like I am doing three people’s jobs!

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Wrapsesh story. Tell us more about the business.
Wrapsesh is a vinyl wrap/graphics shop that specializes in Luxury and Detailed Color Change.

We are based out of 101 Motors, in Tempe, Arizona.

We mostly specialize in doing detailed, full color changes, more specifically door jam wraps. This is where we remove all 2 or 4 doors on a vehicle and wrap the entire jam and interior doors. The end product is a 110% coverage wrap that almost looks as flawless as paint, whether your doors are open or not. We also do a lot of other highly-detailed projects like motorcycle wraps, helmets, wheelchairs, etc.

We also like doing freestyle projects. Often times customers will just give us a color scheme, and then we create the freestyle design impromptu based off the body lines. This involves hand-laying Knifeless Tapes to create the designs for a truly unique, one-of-a-kind wrap meant to last. Quality is our number one priority here, and it is obvious if you have seen our work in person. We are well known for spending a lot more time on our color change wraps than most, typically a 5-6 day turnaround for an exterior wrap as opposed to the usual 2-3 day turnaround from most shops. We are passion over profits here, the end product is what matters most to us.

The Vinyl Vixen Wraps is my own personal pages to promote females in the industry, but just an extension of our shop Wrapsesh. I know a very small handful of female installers and designers across the nation, and I like to promote their work and Collaborate with them when I can.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The vinyl industry is huge and still expanding. The possibilities with vinyl are really endless and I think that people are finding more and more ways to use it to customize their vehicle. Wrap isn’t limited to vehicles alone either. We can wrap brick walls, windows, buildings, floors, anything with a good enough surface. The amount of advertising capabilities and the fact it is totally removable if needed, makes it a perfect medium for effectively advertising for your company. The vinyl industry is booming, and I think it is going to keep growing as we find more and more uses for vinyl as well as manufacturers constantly bringing out new products that expand the wrap game to other surfaces.

Contact Info:


Image Credits:
Becca Furnish
Evolutionized Photography

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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